Contents コンテンツ

Lace is more than just fabric.
Each motif, meticulously drawn by fine threads, embodies prayers, celebrations, and a yearning for beauty. Behind these delicate designs lie histories, cultures, and the lives of those who came before us.

Why are we so drawn to lace?

Perhaps it is not only the breathtaking visual appeal, but also the unconscious recognition of the time and hands that brought it into being.
Lace gives form to the invisible — the flow of time, silent emotions — rendering them in patterns of thread. One strand may cross hundreds or thousands of times, as if weaving air itself. In its intricacy, lace can speak more eloquently than photographs, revealing class, era, region, and even the sentiment of its giver.

This is why lace is not merely decoration. It is fabric that speaks — a vessel of memory.

Why Are We Drawn to Lace?

Lace is more than just fabric. Each delicate pattern spun from fine threads carries with it prayers, blessings, and an enduring longing for beauty. Behind even the smallest motif lie histories, cultures, and someone’s personal story.

Why are we so captivated by lace? Perhaps because, beyond its visual allure, we sense the weight of time and the memory of human hands woven into its form. Lace embodies that which is invisible — emotion, ritual, memory — and gives it shape. One thread crosses another hundreds, even thousands of times, forming patterns as if weaving air itself.

Its intricacy often speaks more eloquently than photographs, telling of a wearer’s class, the era they lived in, the region they came from, and even the sentiments of the person who gave the lace.

That is why lace is not merely a decorative textile — it is a “speaking cloth,” a vessel of memory. In moments of birth, baptism, marriage, and farewell, lace has quietly adorned life’s milestones, carrying more meaning than words could express. It has long served as a silent gift — one that conveys love, respect, and remembrance across generations.

Diane Claeys — A Life Devoted to Lace

For decades, Diane Claeys has devoted herself to the study, collection, and preservation of antique lace. Based in Belgium, she is known internationally as one of the most respected connoisseurs in the field, possessing deep expertise that bridges history, artistry, and cultural heritage.

Her fascination with lace began in childhood. Captivated by the intricate patterns and the lives they hinted at, she pursued this passion with unwavering dedication. Her collection now includes thousands of rare and historic pieces — lace that once adorned queens, clergy, and aristocrats; lace that served as both ornament and message.

But Diane’s true gift lies not only in collecting, but in interpreting. She reads lace like a text, drawing out the voices hidden within its threads. To her, each piece is a cultural document — one that reveals how people lived, what they valued, and how they expressed emotion when words fell short.

Her work goes beyond academia or antiquarian interest. It is a mission to ensure that the stories embedded in lace are not lost to time, but continue to speak to future generations.

WhyOrnament or Offering? The Allure of Antique Lace

Antique lace is a medium where beauty and meaning are interwoven. In 16th- and 17th-century Europe, lace first flourished in churches and on royal garments. It was not mere ornamentation but a textile of profound symbolism—used to honor the sacred, to express wealth and power, and sometimes, to veil a person’s inner state with elegance and grace.

It is said that lace began as a form of devotion. Intricate needle lace was offered in place of gold and jewels by women who could not afford such riches. The time and care spent on each stitch were, in themselves, a prayer. What once adorned altars and clergy garments later made its way into aristocratic fashion and home décor, becoming a symbol of status and refinement.

But even as lace transitioned from religious ritual to secular beauty, it never lost its power to convey emotion. In mourning, for example, lace continued to play a role. Black silk and crepe lace expressed silent sorrow and dignity. One can feel the quiet presence of farewell and remembrance in the softness of each thread.

In this way, lace has served as a textile of emotion—sometimes joyful, sometimes solemn. It is both decoration and devotion, beauty and message.

Inheriting Memory Through the Thread of Lace

Lace is more than just a decorative fabric—it is a vessel for memory, passed silently from one hand to the next. In earlier times, it marked life’s most intimate milestones: birth, baptism, first communion, marriage, and even mourning. Carefully stored in drawers or family chests, lace was a “silent gift” entrusted with emotion too profound for words.

A piece of lace might accompany a newborn’s breath, adorn a bride at the altar, or be held in a mourner’s hands at a graveside. Over time, even as the memories of those moments fade, the lace remains, holding traces of those feelings in its delicate form. Its fragility is a reminder of human tenderness, its endurance a testament to care and intention.

Diane Claeys often speaks of lace as “an emotional fabric.” Not because it is inherently sentimental, but because it retains the intentions of its maker and bearer. One fragment of lace can evoke an entire family history. In this way, lace transcends time—not as an artifact, but as an heirloom of the heart.

To inherit lace is to inherit the lives and hands that touched it. It is to hold, however briefly, the invisible threads that connect generations.

A Country Where Fabric Lives as Culture

“When I first visited Japan, I sensed that ‘fabric’ was alive as a part of the culture,” Diane Claeys recalls.

What captivated her was not just the beauty of traditional textiles like yuzen-dyeing, sashiko stitching, or sakiori weaving—but the reverence shown to cloth itself. The Japanese spirit of craftsmanship cherishes the process as much as the product, honoring the act of mending and prolonging a fabric’s life rather than discarding it. To Diane, this respect for material echoed her own beliefs as a lace collector and historian.

In Japan, cloth is never treated merely as a disposable object. Every needle prick, every handwoven thread, carries intention. This cultural mindset aligns deeply with Diane’s view of lace as a form of living heritage—something to be protected, understood, and cherished beyond its aesthetic value.

Her respect for Japan grew stronger through her encounters with Chikazawa Lace. More than ten years ago, a chance meeting in Belgium led to a memorable discovery: a shop carrying genuine, high-quality Belgian lace—a rarity even in its place of origin, where imitation goods had become the norm. That shop was run by none other than Diane Cleays herself.

It was there that the seeds of connection were sown. Diane saw in Chikazawa Lace a rare spirit—an unwavering commitment to keeping lace alive not through mass production, but through the discernment of the hand and the eye.

“Some things can only be born through the hand. It is the people who still believe in that truth who keep lace alive,” she says. “Chikazawa Lace is a living testament to that spirit.”

Different cultures, different languages—yet a shared reverence for beauty. Diane’s gaze proves that across borders, the fabric of emotion can still be understood.

“To speak of lace is to speak of human encounters through cloth.”

Her words are quiet, yet profoundly sincere.

Handing Lace to the Future

What does it mean to preserve lace?

Diane Claeys offers a thoughtful answer: “It’s not simply about saving something old. Preserving lace means not losing the ability to appreciate what is quiet, what is symbolically rich, what was made with care.”

She is deeply concerned that as our lives grow faster and more efficient, we risk losing the sensibility to value what cannot be mass-produced. Lace, with its intricate slowness and unspoken meaning, asks us to slow down. It asks us to feel.

In her view, lace should not be confined to glass cases in museums. While she acknowledges the importance of academic preservation, she believes lace belongs in life. It should be touched, worn, handed down—not only studied. “A piece of lace tells a different story when it’s alive in someone’s everyday life,” she says.

That is why she feels a strong kinship with Chikazawa Lace. The company is not only preserving lace—it is making lace relevant. By incorporating fine lace into everyday objects such as handkerchiefs, it invites people to experience the beauty of lace as part of their lives. It breathes life into tradition.

“To preserve lace is to protect the language of the hand,” Diane says. “That language speaks of care, connection, and time.”

For Diane, the goal is not to lock lace in the past. It is to keep it whispering to the present—and to the generations to come.

「antique lace jewelry」